Who is Oscar Pistorius? The amputee, Olympic runner, and convicted murderer will be released from prison in January.
Sebastian Cahill
- Oscar Pistorius is a former Olympic runner serving time in prison for the murder of his girlfriend.
- Many saw Pistorius, who is a double amputee, as a role model before his conviction.
Oscar Pistorius, disgraced former Olympic and Paralympic runner and convicted murderer, was granted parole on Friday, 10 years after killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
The Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services in South Africa confirmed his parole status in a statement.
Once known as the "Blade Runner" for his easily recognizable prosthetic legs, Pistorius shot Steenkamp four times on Valentine's Day in 2013.
At his parole hearing Friday, the court said Pistorius would be released January 5, 2024, after a parole board decided he met requirements and had a "positive support system" to help him, per the ministry statement.
Pistorius was born in 1986 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
He was born without fibula bones in either of his lower legs — both were amputated below the knee before he was a year old, according to Britannica.
In spite of his amputations, Pistorius began playing sports as a child. After beginning track in the early 2000s, he got his first carbon-fiber prosthetic legs, per Britannica.
In 2004, Pistorius won the 200-meter event in the Paralympic Games.
At the time, he was only 17 years old.
Pistorius wasn't satisfied, though — he wanted to compete against able-bodied athletes.
Though he competed at an international competition against able-bodied runners in 2007, in 2008, the World Athletics governing body said he could not compete in the Olympic Games in Beijing, according to the New York Times.
After appealing to the WA, he qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
In doing so, he became the first-ever double amputee to compete in the Games and reach the semifinals, per the Times.
He didn't win any medals, but gained popularity worldwide nonetheless.
Pistorius worked with children with disabilities to give them encouragement and confidence, he said.
In 2012, Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland, granted him an honorary doctorate for his athletic success, per the Independent.
The University later rescinded the honor after Pistorius's guilty verdict in 2014, according to the Herald.
Pistorius and his girlfriend Reeva were only together for three months before he killed her.
Pistorius killed Steenkamp, who was a law graduate, model, and TV presenter, on February 14, 2013.
Pistorius was originally convicted of culpable homicide in her death.
Pistorius shot Steenkamp four times through his own home's bathroom door.
He testified that he thought his girlfriend was an intruder, while prosecutors said he had killed her after an argument.
The charge is comparable to a manslaughter conviction, according to NPR.
Prosecutors then overturned the conviction, arguing for a murder charge.
After being convicted of murder, Pistorius was sentenced to six years in prison.
When prosecutors appealed the sentence on the grounds that it was too lenient, his sentence was increased to 15 years.
After the sentence increase, Steenkamp's family expressed their agreement with the court's decision.
"This is an emotional thing for them," said family spokesperson Tania Koen to Reuters in 2017. "They just feel that their trust in the justice system has been confirmed this morning."
Despite his conviction, some residents of South Africa continued to express support for him.
In 2014, Cathal Kelly wrote that the reason could lie in fear of home security risks.
Kelly speculated that because some of the population could relate to the fear of a home invader, they might empathize with Pistorius more.
Pistorius has maintained his actions were accidental, but Steenkamp's family disagrees.
Reeva's mother, June Steenkamp, said Reeva told her they were fighting a lot.
"She'd only known him a short time and was beginning to think they were incompatible, and I think that night she was going to leave," she said to the Guardian in 2014. "This is not the whole story. I just wish he could have stood up and said exactly what happened."
A friend of Steenkamp's also said Reeva had texted about being scared of Pistorius at times.
Friday, Pistorius was informed he would be released on parole in early January 2024.
He served about half of his 15-year sentence. As a condition of his parole, he must maintain conditions like continuing anger management therapy, per Reuters.
June Steenkamp said in a victim impact statement written before Friday that she would not attend the parole hearing because she could not "muster the energy to face him again at this stage," per NBC.
"My dearest child screamed for her life; loud enough for the neighbors to hear her," she wrote in the statement, per NBC. "I do not know what gave rise to his choice to shoot through a closed door at somebody with hollow-point ammunition when I believe, he knew it was Reeva."
Popular Right Now
Popular Keywords
Advertisement